¹⁸ John told Herod that it was not lawful for him to be married to his brother’s wife. ¹⁹ So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she could not because of Herod. ²⁰ Herod was afraid to kill John because he knew John was a good and holy man. So Herod protected John. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John preach. But John’s preaching always bothered him.